Naomi Schiff warns Mercedes power-unit problems could cost Antonelli victories

Naomi Schiff has warned that ongoing Mercedes power-unit problems could cost Kimi Antonelli victories and threaten his championship campaign. The Italian leads the drivers’ standings on 320 points, with Mercedes team-mate George Russell second on 236.

Speaking after the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, Schiff discussed Russell’s painful end to the race at the Sepang International Circuit. She stressed that the problems were not limited to his car: “It’s not great that they’re happening. It’s happened multiple times, not just with George’s car. Kimi’s also had some issues.”

She also pointed to difficulties affecting other cars using Mercedes power units. “So, there is a wider issue that I think Toto Wolff is probably concerned about. We noticed his frustration, and we can understand why he’s as frustrated as that,” she said.

Schiff argued that the problems could deny Antonelli victories as he pursues his first championship. She also questioned why reliability trouble was occurring so often and raised the possibility of Mercedes losing points in the constructors’ standings. “That could cost Kimi some more victories,” she warned.

On Russell, Schiff expressed sympathy while noting that his job is to be quicker than his team-mate. She felt he had “dropped the ball somewhat” in a season when Mercedes finally has a competitive car for him.